Stencil-printing machine.



E. A. 00X.

STENCIL PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 11, 1910.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

1 SHIRTS-"SHEET 1,

E. A. 00X.

STENCIL PRINTING MACHINE. APPLICATION I'ILEDJAN. 11, win.

1,1 17,337, Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

, 4 SHEET S-SHEET 3, 7 /1 30' l 30 E f s I 3 h T A, g 52 :35 5 1 5; $2

6 142 /7 1 Z0 CL H J W Swuawtom E. A. COX.

STENCIL PRINTING MACHINE APPLICATION FILED JAN. 11, 1910.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

4 SHEBTS-SHEET 4.

EDWIN AUSTIN COX, OF IRVINGTON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE ROTOSPEED COMPANY, OF DAYTON, OHIO, A. CORPORATION OF OHIO.

STENCIL-PRINTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 11, 1910. Serial No. 537.440.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN AUSTIN Cox,

of Irvington, in the county of Essex, in the State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Stencil Printing Machines, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in stencil printing machines involving the use of a rotary cylindrical segment upon which is wrapped an inking pad and a waxed stencil sheet coacting with a suitable impression roller for printing the type-cut matter from the stencil upon the sheets of paper as they are fed one by one through the machine.

The main object is to increase the general working eiliciency of this class of machines by simplifying and reducing the number of working parts and thereby rendering the machine less liable to impairment.

The specific objects are: First-t0 provide an efiective means for alining the sheets as they are fed by hand, one by one, to the machine without special care from the operator.

Second-to provide means moving intermittingly but in synchronism with the stencil supporting segment to automatically grip the advance end of the sheet and feed it between the printing elements without liability of throwing such sheet out of alinement. Third-to drive the primary feeding means directly from one of the heads of the cylinder and to enable such head to be adjusted circumferentially relatively to the stencil supporting segment, so as to easily gage the amount of-head space desired on the printed sheets. Fourth-to provide asuitable means at or to the rear of the meeting faces of the printing elements for stripping the printed sheets from the stencil.

'Other .-objects and uses will be brought out in the following description. e

In the drawings: F'gures 1 and 2 are respectively a side elevationand a top plan of astencil printing machine embodying the various features of my invention. Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view through the machine taken on line A-A, Fig. 2, showing the working parts in position just about ready to receive and print a sheet. Fig. l is an enlarged inner face view of a-portion of one of the end heads of the cylinder showing the means for clamping the stencil supporting segment thereto. Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view through the center of the machine taken on line BB, Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is an inner face view of the gear, cam and pawl forcontrolling the operation of the paper feeding roll and gripping device, a portion of the gear being broken away to show the slot and pin connection between the cam and gear. Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on line G-(J, Fig. 6. F ig. 8 is an inner face view of the counter and its operating mechanism. Fig. 9 is a top plan partly broken away and partl in section of the presser roll, paper fee and gripping devices. Fig. 10 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on line D-D, Fig. 9, showing the paper gripping device as spring pressed against the periphery of the feeding roll preparatory to feeding the sheet to'the printing elements. Fig. 11 is an elevation of the stop mechanism for the counter.

The sheets of paper to be printed are placed upon an inclined table or support -1- between laterally adjustable guides -2 with their lower ends abutting one in advance of the other against a substantially horizontal support 3-- from which position they are fed by hand, one by one, from the top downward against an abutment 4 and between suitable gripping elements consisting of a sheet feeding roller 5 and a plate 6 for alining the sheets and feeding them between the meeting faces of a suitable printing couple consisting, in this instance of a rotary cylinder 7-- and an underlying presser roll -8-.

The table --1' is removably inserted between upright frame sections -9 and normally rests upon a frame bar --10- below the bed plate, the inner end of the table being provided with a. shoulder -11- ada ted to engage any one of the teeth of an uprlght toothed rack --12- on the under side of the bed plate --3 to permit such table to be adjusted to different angles as may be necessary to cause the different grades of paper to gravitate against the upper face of the bed plate -3-.

The upper face of the inner end of the table is cut away forming a shoulder 13 which abuts against the adjacent edge of the plate 3 to allow the sheets of paper to slide freely from the table on to the bed plate and at the same time permits the table to be readily withdrawn from its operative position and placed underneaththe entire mechanism between the upright frame sections 9 and upon an underlying supporting bed 1sl to which the upright frame sections are secured.

The table 1 and bed plate 3 are located some distance to one side of the meeting faces of the printing elements leaving ample intervening space for the operation of the abutment '.t and gripping element 5 both of which latter are secured together upon and to a rotary shaft The gripping elements 5 and 6 are substantiallv coextensive in length with that of the bed plate 3 and are disposed in planesone above the other with a normal intervening clearance or space in the same horizontal plane as the upper face of the bed plate -3 to permit the advance end of the sheet to pass through said clearance and against the abutment 'l which is also normally disposed in the same plane and parallel with the axis of theprinting elements. The feeding element 5 consists of a substantially semi-circular segment of rubber vulcanized or otherwise secured to one of two clamping plates 16- which are clamped upon opposite faces of the shaft -15 by screws -1T(-, the pe riphcrv of the feeding element 5-- being eccentric to its axis of rotation so as to more effectually grip the sheet and feed it to the printing couple.

The gripping element 6 consists of metal plate secured to a rock shaft 1S-- in a plane just above the bed plate -3 parallel-with the meeting faces of the printing elements leaving suii'icient clearance between it and the bed plate -3 to allow the passage of a sheet to be printed thereunder.

The rear edge of the gripping element -6 is nor-mall held a slight distance above the feeding element 5- by a pawl 19 and a movable detent 20 but is forced into contact with the end of the paper which rests upon the feeding element by a spring :?l when the pawl is released by the tripping of the detent in a manner presently described. The spring is coiled around one end of the shaft 18 with its opposite ends engaged respectively with the adjacent frame section 9 and gripping element --6-.

The detent -Q0 consists of a fiber disk loosely mounted upon one end of the shaft 15 and provided with a cam tooth 92-- having an abrupt termination and upon which the end of the pawl -19- not-mall rests, as clearly shown in Fig. 6. This dish or detcnt is connected with a lost motion to a fiber gear -23- which is rigidly secured to the same shaft, the gear being provided with a pin 24- projecting laterally into a circumferential slot-25- in the disk :20 to allow the disk to move a limited distance independently of the gear sufficiently to release the pawl 19, the pin -24 being held against one end of the slotby a light coil spring 26 which is interposed between the pin and opposite end of the slot.

The cylinder consists of a perforated cylindrical segment -27 of sheet metal and opposite end heads 28 and 29, the latter having annular grooves 30- on their inner faces for the reception and retention of the ends of the segment -27'.

The heads 28 and 29 are centrally journaled upon short axial stubs-31 on the upper portions of the frame sections 9-, the head 28 being provided upon its periphery with a toothed rack --32- having a number of teeth corresponding to and adapted to mesh with the gear -23- which is provided with a concave face 33 concentric with and riding against the periphery of the head 2S, so as to allow the shaft 15 with the gripping element 5- and gear Q3 thereon to remain at rest during the revolution of the cylinder except when the teeth of the rack 32- are brought into registration with those of the gear 23.

The cylinder 7- is rotated continuously by means of a hand crank 3 l and intermeshing gears the crank arm -34- being journaled on one of the frame sections 9 and secured to one of the gears 35- while the other gear is secured directly to the hub of the cylinder head -28.

The stencil supporting segment -27- is substantially semi-circular and perforated throughout the greater portion of its area and is provided with circumferential grooves 39- at opposite sides of the perforated portion for receiving the inner ends of stripper fingers i0 which are secured to a frame bar 4l. These stripper fingers extend rearwardlv from between the meeting faces of the printing couple to engage and strip the advance ends of the sheets from the stencil during the operation of printing.

The cylinder head 28 is adjustable circuniferentially relatively to the stencil supporting segment -2T- for the purpose of operating the paper feeding device earlier or later in the travel of the advance end of the stencil segment, so as to vary the amount of head space on the printed sheets and is held in its adjusted position by a segmental spring metal strap -d2- and a hand rotated cam or eccentric 43- seated in a loop -sttin the central portion of the strap -l-2, which strap bridges across the space between the circumferential TOG lllltl) hand with its a ends of the stencil supporting segment and is secured at its ends by brazing or otherwise to the adjacent edges of said segment.

The cam -43 is provided with a hand piece 45- movable within the periphery of the cylinder and when moved to one position allows the opposite arms of the band 42 to spring inwardly and unlock the head. for adjustment, andwhen rotated in the opposite direction distends said band thereby frictionally locking the head -28 to the stencil supporting segment. In the drawings I have shown an additional strap '42-,in the groove of the opposite head for the same purpose and operable in the same manner as that previously described so that either head may be adjusted relatively to the segment or the segment may be adjusted relatively to either head if deslre At the proper time during the rotation of the stencil cylinder and after one of the sheets, as a has been fed forwardly by dvance end engaged with the alining abutment 4.--, the detent 20- is tripped by a pin or shoulder --70 projecting laterally from the outer side of the cylinder head --28--, said pin engaging a shoulder 68 on the periphery of the disk -20 similar to but just in advance of the cam tooth 22. This pin 70 andthe shoulder -68 on the disk 20 with which it engages are so relatively positioned as to cause the pin to rotate the disk -20 just enough to allow the end of the pawl or finger 19- to drop off from the cam tooth 22 thereby permitting the gripping element 6 to be depressed and thus press the advance end of the sheet -a, against the upper face of the gripping element -5-. The detent 20 is now at the limit of its movement independently of the gear 23- as determined by the pin 24- and slot --25-,

the detent -20-- being held against the action of the spring 26 by the engagement of the finger --19-- with the cam tooth -22-. Immediately following this tripping of the detent 20, the cam tooth 22- is engaged by a separate pin -71- also projectinglaterally from the end face of the cylinder head 28- for additionally rotating said detent 20 and gear -23- and thereby causing the teeth of the latter to mesh with the toothed rack-32 which serves to rotate the feeding element -5 one revolution or sufficient to feed the advance end of the paper between the stencil.

segment -27 and presser roll --8 The circumferential ends of the stencil supporting segment 27-- are bent, inwardly in the form of V-shaped loops disposed at slightly less than right angles to the adjacent portions 'of the segment with their open sides facing outwardly, for re ceiving the ends of the inking pad and stencil and suitable retaining bars by which the said inking pad and stencil are held in operative position, as best seen in Fig. 10. The edges of the loops nearest to each other terminate in substantially the same plane as the periphery of the segment so as to better retain the locking bars in the loops.

The presser roll -8- which is made of rubber is mounted upon a rotary shaft -50- having its end journaled in vertically movable plungers 51 which are connected by springs 52 to the upper portions of the frame 9--, as best seen in Fig. 5, so as to yieldingly hold the presser roll against the stencil during the operation of printing.

\Vhen the machine is not in use the plungers 51- together with the presser roll -8- may be drawn downwardly away from the cylinder by means of eccentrics 53 which ride against suitable bearings ---54 on the frame sections --9 and are connected by an operating shaft having a hand crank 56 at one endwhereby the eccentrics may be operated. One of the eccentrics is provided with a laterally projecting pin 57 adapted to engage one side of the plunger to limit the degree of rotation of the eccentric.

It is now apparent that the feeding roller -5- is rotated intermittingly one complete revolution during a comparatively small portion of each revolution of the cylinder while the toothed segment 32-- is in mesh with the gear -23 and that this feeding movement is just sufiicient to assure the proper entry of the advance end of the sheet between the printing elements which latter continue to feed and print the sheet after the rotation of the feeding element --5-- has ceased. As the sheets are printed and fed from between the printing elements they are deposited by gravity upon a receivlng plate --:38 which is provided at its outer end with a stop shoulder or abutment -59-' and is ad'ustable vertically and longitudinally in suitable slots 60-- in the inner sides of the opposite frame sections -9-, such adjustment depending somewhat upon the quality of paper used and also upon the speed of action of the machine. I

The number of sheets printed may be registered by any well known form of counting mechanism, as 61 having an operating arm -62- which is yieldingly connected by spring --63- to a connecting rod 64, the latter being eccentrically connected to one of the gears 35--, as best seen in Fig. 8.

Portions of the surfaces of the paper supporting table and horizontal bed 3- are roughened by the application of sand paper or similar material thereto to hold all except the uppermost sheet of paper against forward movement when such upper sheet is fed by hand to the feeding device.

In operation the sheets to be printed are stacked upon the inclined table --1- in which position they gravitate or slide against the upper roughened surface of the bed plate 3-, the uppermost sheets beingin advance of the others whereupon, when the stencil supporting cylinder is rotated by the hand crank 34e, the uppermost sheet is fed forwardly between the gripping ele ments 5- and -6 until its front edge butts against the abutment 4 which alines the sheet preparatory to feeding it to the printing couple during which operation the pawl l9 rests upon the point of the cam tooth -2Q to hold the gripping element 6 slightly above the gripping element 5, so as to allow free passage of the sheet between said gripping elements and against the abutment -4-. Now as the stencil supporting drum continues to rotate, the shoulder will first engage the shoulder 68-- and move the detent or cam disk -20 sufficiently to allow the pawl --l9 to drop off from the end of the cam tooth 22, thereby permitting the gripping element 6 to press the an derlying end ofthe sheet against the adjacent face of the gripping element 5-, said cam disk -2Q being'moved such limited distance relatively to the gear 23 against the action of the spring -26 where it is temporarily held against returning by the engagement of the end of the pawl 19 with the cam tooth 22. Immediately following this operation, the cam tooth '-2:2 is engaged by the pin -7l on-the cylinder head 28.', the object of which is to rotate both the cam disk 20 and pinion 23- sufficiently to bring the teeth of the pinion into mesh with the toothed rack -32 on the cylinder head -28 whereupon positive rotary motion is imparted to the pinion and also to the eccentric gripping element 5- which is secured to the same shaft -15 as the pinion.

The relative number of teeth on the toothed rack 32 and pinion 23- is such as to cause one complete rotation of the feeding element -5' to frictionally feedthe sheet of paper between the meeting faces of the presser roll 8- andstencil supporting segment.

As previously described, the head -28 carrying the toothed segment 32 is adjusted relatively to the stencil supporting segment 27- so as to feed the advance end of the sheet the desired distance across the upper face of the presser roll before the printing from the stencil takes place, thereby permitting more or less head space to.,be left on the printed sheet as may be desired.

Immediately upon the entrance of the sheet between the printing couple, the ends of the stripper fingers which lie just above the sheet operate to strip the sheet from the cylinder as it is fed toward the rear of the machine.

The particular function in effecting one complete revolution of the feeding device 5- is to insure the feeding of the end of the paperbetween the meetin faces of the printing couple or until the advance end of the stencil is brought into coaction with the presser roll 8-'- to grip and continue to feed and print the sheet, the printing sheet being discharged at the rear of the printing couple upon the receiving plate 58. As soon as the gripping and feeding device -5 has completed ne revolution, it is held against further movement during the printing operation by the engagement of the smooth periphery of the head 9S with the concave face 38 of the gear, such concave face beingconcentric and coincident with such periphery. As soon as the pinion begins to rotate from its normal position, the spring 26-- returns the cam disk 20- to its normal position relatively to such pinion and therefore also rotates one complete revolution thereby riding under the end of the pawl--l9- to elevate the latter and thus elevate the gripping plate -6 a slight distance from the periphery 'of the gripping element 5,

whereupon the operation of feeding another sheet to the machine may be repeated.

The counter 61-' is prevented from counting when the resser roll 8- is drawn away from t e stencil supporting drum by means of a link having its upper end pivoted at 81- to the free end of the counter operating lever, as 62--, and its opposite end provided with av lengthwise slot 82 receiving the cam shaft or spindle -55, the lower end of the slot being closed to form an abutment or limiting stop adapted to be engaged by the spindle 55 when the latter is rocked downwardly in drawing the presser roll 8- away from the stencil supporting drum, thereby holding the counter lever -62- against upward movement, should the drum be rotated when the presser roller is not in its operative position. Under such conditions the link 6 lis free to move lengthwise thereby tensioning and compressing the spring 63 without operating the counter lever -62.

' porting heads at the opposite ends of said segment, one of said heads and said segment being adjustable relatively one to the other, and sheet feeding means actuated by one of 5 said heads.

3. In a stencil printing machine, a rotary drum having a stencil supporting segment, segment supportin heads at the opposite ends thereof, one 0 said heads being adjustable rotarily relatively to the segment, means for clamping the adjustable head in its adjusted position, and means actuated by the adjustable head.

4. In a stencil printing machine, a rotary drum having a stencil supportin segment and opposite end heads, one of said heads being adjustable rotarily relatively to the segment, an expansible and contractible arcuate bar connected to the segment for frictional engagement with the adjustable head, said bar being formed with a radially extending loop, and a cam operating in said loop to expand the bar against said. head to lock the latter in an ad usted position to the segment.

5. In astencil printing machine, a rotary drumhaving a stencil supporting segment, and segment su porting heads at the opposite ends thereo one of said heads and said segment being capable of relative rotary adjustment,.a frictional clamping device to retain said parts in their adjusted positions,

co-acting with said adjustable head for transmitting rotary motion to said sheet feeding means.

' 7. In a stencil printing machine, sheet feeding means, a rotary printing couple, means actuated by one of the members of said couple for intermittingly operating the sheet feeding means comprising a rack on said member, and a coacting mutilated pinion having its mutilated portion concentric with the axis of said member when not engaged by the rack? 8. In a stencil printing machine, a rotary stencil supporting drum having a toothed rack and a stencil segment adjustable rotarily relatively to the rack in combination with paper feeding means actuated intermittinglyby said rack once during each revolution of the drum, and means to rotate the drum.

9. In a stencil printing machine, a rotary printing couple, coacting paper grippin elements, one of which is rotatable to fee the paper to said couple, the other element, being non-rotatable and spring pressed toward the rotatable element, means for rotating one member of said couple, and cooperating f devices connected respectively with said member and said rotatable gripping element to control the action of said gripping elements, said devices comprising a rack and a mutilated gear.

10. In a stencil printing machine, a printing drum having a rotarily adjustable part, means including an expansible and contractile member for locking and releasing said adjustable part, and sheet feeding a means actuated by the drum.

11. In a stencil printing machine, a print ing drum having a stencil supporting segment means including a strap and eccentric for clamping the segment to the drum, and sheet feeding means actuated by the drum.

12. In a stencil printing machine, a rotary printing couple and actuating means therefor, a rotary paper feeding element provided with an abutment against which the sheets of paper are fed by hand, a grippin element spring pressed toward the fee ing element, means forholding the gripping element apart from the feeding element, additional means rotating with one of the printing elements for tripping the holding means, and further means comprising a rack, and mutilated gear for rotating the feeding element after the gripping element has been released.

13. In a stencil printin machine, a printin drum having one of its end heads adjusta le rotarilv and means controlled by such head for gripping and feeding the sheets to be printed one by one to the printing drum and including a rotary eccentric.

14. In a stencil printingmachine, sheet feeding mechanism having a mutilated pinion in combination with a rotary printing drum having a toothed segment for operating the pinion intermittingly one revolution at a time, said drum having means coacting with the mutilated pinion to hold the latter against rotation when not actuated by the toothed Segment.

15. In a stencil printing machine, a rotary printing couple and actuating means therefor, a paper feeding roll having an abutment for alining the ends of the sheets to be printed in the machine, a presser plate coacting with the feed roll to grip the paper, means normally holding the presser plate away from the feed roll and separate devices rotating with one of the printing elements for tripping the holding means for the presser plate, and for rotating the feeding roll one complete revolution at each revolution of such printing element, the last a toothed rack mentioned device comprising gear connected an abutment for the advance ends of the sheet and a mutilated pinion, a'rotary printing drum having a toothed segment coacting with the pinion to rotate the feeding roller one revolution at a time, said drum having means coacting with the mutilated portion of the pinion for holding the roll against rotation when not actuated by the toothed segment, said segment being adjustable rotarily to vary the time of action of the feeding mechanism.

17. In a stencil printing machine, a printing couple comprising a stencil supporting segment, a rotary head having a portion of its periphery toothed and its remaining portion smooth, and a coacting presser roll in combination with an intermittingly rotatable feeding roll, a pinion having a concave hearing for said smooth portion of the head for holding the feeding roll against rotation during a'partial rotation of the stencil supporting segment, said pinion being con nected to the feed roll and engaged by the toothed portion of the head for rotating said feed roll one complete revolution at each revolution of' the stencil supporting segment. a i

18. In a stencil printing machine, a rotary stencil supporting segment and coacting presser roll, mechanism for gripping and feeding the sheets of paper to be printed one by one to the printing couple, said mechanism including a feeding roll and a presser plate spring pressed toward the roll but normally held apart therefrom, means including a cam and pawl for holding the presser plate in itsinoperative position, said cam having a limited movement independmime? ently of the feed roll, means rotatable with the stencil supporting segment for engaging and moving the cam to trip the pawl and release the presser plate, and additional means also rotating with the stencil supporting segment for rotating the feed roll after the presser plate has been released.

19. A stencil printing machine comprising a drum having a stencil supporting segment provided with circumferential grooves in its periphery, a presser roll co'acting with the portion of the segment between the grooves, sheet feeding mechanism located in front of the meeting faces of the drum and presser roll, and stripper fingers extending rearwardly from the meeting faces of said drum and roll and having their free ends entering the grooves in the segment.

20. In a stencil printing machine, a printing couple consisting of a drum and presser roll, the drum being provided with a stencil supporting segment having circumferential grooves in its periphery near the ends thereof, a toothed segment on the drum. adjustable rotarily thereon, sheet feeding mechanism actuated by said segment, and stripper fingers extending rearivardly from the meeting faces of the printing couple and having their free ends entering the grooves in the segment.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this twenty-seventh day of De- Witnessesz' Annnmr 11). Term, Ant-nan S. Cnmrmnn. 

